The Jet Black Hero

Elevator

On top of a ferris wheel

In an office

In a shop

In a traffic jam

In a hotel room

On a ski lift

On top of a wall

In a jail cell

On a rollercoaster

In an abandoned mansion

On a train

On a bus

In a tent

  “Tokoyami-kun I have a question…” Ochako asked, not looking her classmate in the eye. It was kind of a stupid question, but she was curious.

“Hmm?” Tokoyami looked at Uraraka in slight confusion before nodding softly. “Ah.” He looked away in thought for a moment before turning back to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tokoyami? “I’ve felt better before,” Seeing the crow headed hero brought a smile to Cache’s face, the young hero leaning up from their sunken in spot on the pillow. They placed their phone beside them, looking over their friend. Either they were seeing things, or he looked tired. Had they heard that right, had he actually been searching for fifty days? No, he had to be over exaggerating, right? Surely he hadn’t been searching for that long. “But I’m alive, so I can’t really complain, you know?” 

Cache’s smile fell just a bit, the hero’s shoulders falling. “What about you? You look tired, did you really search that long? Fifty days…You can’t be serious, right?” Concern was deep in Cache’s voice, though there was also a hint of relief. He was okay - tired, but okay. They paused, hesitating for a moment. 

“You look like something really ruffled your feathers, Tokoyami.” They cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood the best they could. “If you’re tired, maybe you should take a nap.” They were admittedly serious about that. Sleep deprivation was no one’s friend, hero or not. “I’m talon you, you look tired.” They honestly hoped bird puns would lighten the mood a bit, or at least draw a smile from the hero. 

They nudged him with their cast, reaching a bit out of the comfort zone. They kept from wincing as a bit of pain came from the movement, not wanting to sour the mod. “I’m sure they have other beds you could take a nap in, pretty sure no one will object to it.” Who would? He was a hero - if a hero wanted to nap, let the hero nap. They made a mental note to remember that small saying for later. 

They’d have to try and remind one of the doctors or nurses to change the system - being called that name sent both discomfort and disgust through the hero. It was a wonder their mother hadn’t already done it, much less that she hadn’t spoken up about it. 

Cache was silent for a moment or two, eyes going from tracing over Tokoyami to tracing over their own wounds. “… Sorry if I worried you,” Cache sighed, tapping their fingers against the bed. “Or worried anyone really.” They glanced at the door, quickly averting their gaze. Their mother might have been arranging to pull them from the school as they spoke, Cache trying to soothe their nerves. 

“I’m probably over exaggerating the amount of time it took for me to finally find you,” he sighed, changing the subject with his face void of emotion as he looked at the heart monitor, “but that’s what it felt like. Not to mention, I’m really bad at keeping track of time. Three years could pass by as half of a year for me.”

At the statement of being worried, Tokoyami shook his head. “I knew you would come out of it. I admit that quite the few people were worried, but I was able to leave it to the U.A. to calm other people’s minds.” He looked down at his hands, grimacing at their state. He wouldn’t speak of his state of mind during the whole ordeal. It was likely not as bad as Cache’s was, after all. Or perhaps it was; Dark Shadow’s worried state for both Tokoyami and Cache had bled into his mind during the times when Dark Shadow was contained inside his body.

At the prompting of taking a nap, he shook his head once more. “Even though I have most of the business of the ordeal taken care of at the moment,” he spoke softly with a sigh and a glare towards the door, “I still have to take care of some stuff with the police about the kidnappers.” He bowed his head with a twang of guilt hitting his chest. He chose not to speak of his actions with the kidnappers, instead choosing to look back at Cache with a soft smile.

“I guess I can’t complain, either,” he nodded slowly. “Even through all that you went through... you’re still here. The only thing I can complain about is my own actions.” His smile dropped once more as he reflected on the day he lost contact with them. He bowed his head once more, sighing as he placed his hands over his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry for not being there.

I’m sorry for not listening to my guts.

I’m sorry for ignoring the threat of kidnappers in the area.

I’m sorry for not using all of my knowledge to its best use.

I’m sorry for not protecting you.

I’m sorry for not helping you.

I’m sorry for not being able to do anything.

I’m sorry for not being good enough.

With tears of regret pooling at his eyes from all the wrongs he did, he could only mutter the simplest phrase. “I’m so sorry.”

And just like that, the floodgates of questions opened up. “Does Dark Shadow need to eat, or does it just eat to eat? Are you two in a symbiotic relationship or is it parasitism? Does Dark Shadow feed through you, and can you feed through Dark Shadow?” They took a breath, trying to manage what questions came out and which one’s stayed in with little success. 

“What was it like when you developed your Quirk? Did Dark Shadow ever disobey-Can it disobey? Are you two actually linked? Can you breathe through Dark Shadow if you’re being suffocated? Can it travel faster than the speed of light, seeing as how shadows move at the absence of light which would mean they’d have to travel at the same speed-” They took a breath once again,  taking a bite from one of their brownies. “Does Dark Shadow have an internal organ system, or is it just an empty void? Does it have a heart?” 

“Dark Shadow eats to eat,” he spoke finally, looking up at Cache. “It enjoys taste... somehow. I really don’t know how that works, since it shouldn’t have a functioning tongue.” He fell silent for a moment before continuing. “It’s a symbiotic relationship,” he explained, “because I can command it to do my bidding, and it thrives through the energy it eats and the energy it takes from me. Whenever it eats, as far as I’m concerned, all of the food turns into energy in some way. None of the energy goes to me; however, if it was to have a depletion of energy, it takes energy from me. If it is to run out of energy while being out, it has to return inside me and recharge.”

Getting out their phone had never been so freaking difficult. Cache murmured a few juvenile curses under their breath, digging to try and pull the small device out. Managing to pull the phone from their pocket, the first thing Cache had to do was check the messages. Their eyes widened in surprise at the sheer number of texts and missed calls, some from numbers the hero wasn’t even aware of.  

Were they really that worried? 

Cache slowly scrolled through the messages as best they could with their braced fingers, reading over each one with a grain of salt in mind. They couldn’t help but arch a brow at some of the messages, slowly starting to delete them the best they could. No use in wasting storage with old messages. They couldn’t help but hold their breath while deleting some of them, a hint of guilt hitting the hero. 

I shouldn’t have worried them like that. 

No, they reminded themselves. They didn’t have a choice in the matter, they were kidnapped, they didn’t sign up to be swiped off the street. It was a miracle their phone survived, their captors not having either the care or the brains to break it. Of course, calling for help was relatively hard with broken fingers. 

They were tempted to try and call for a doctor, just to see if anyone had visited them aside from their mother. They let the endeavor slip, however. They didn’t exactly have contact with many other students, and why would they want to come anyhow? Cache leaned back on the pillow, letting out a small groan of displeasure. Wonder if she’s going to try and pull me from the school. 

“They’re in room 205,” was all Tokoyami could muster to say as he turned away. He had hoped that the clerk would pick up on the difference in gender between what they had said and what Tokoyami said, but he didn’t really count on it at that moment. All he could do is trudge up to the room.

“...and he will be discharged in-” Upon reaching the room he was referred to, Tokoyami noted that the doctor standing outside turned to him. “Ah, Tsukuyomi, this is the man you were looking for, correct?”

“How are they doing?” Tokoyami asked with narrowed eyes, holding his limp left arm. Parts of Tokoyami’s body have been going out of commission due to all of the energy Dark Shadow Blackout had taken out of him. Tokoyami was surprised that he hadn’t already fallen.

“Dylan-”

“Cache,” Tokoyami corrected with a cold tone, walking up to the door. “Correct the system.”

“Y-yes, Tsukuyomi,” the doctor stumbled over his words in surprise and fear of the tired hero. “Cache will be fine, with rest and recovery. But he’s resting right now, so please don’t-”

“I’ve been searching for them for fifty days,” Tokoyami glared at the doctor, beginning to prop the door open. “I will be entering their room.”

Without another word, Tokoyami turned back to the door, passing through it silently. He had noted the woman that had been with the doctor, but had paid no attention to her.